How long until Seattle gets the Supersonics back?

In 2008, Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett held the City of Seattle hostage over a new arena deal that ended with the team being relocated to Oklahoma City.

The saga has been well documented, with the 2009 documentary titled Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team going into great detail about the story of how the Sonics left Seattle. If you manage to get a copy of this documentary – which used to be free on their website – it is well worth the watch.

How the Sonics were taken from Seattle basketball fans is still a touchy subject,  made even worse by the current success of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder (aka Zombie Sonics).

Hope was resurrected in 2012 when Seattle businessman Chris Hansen announced plans for a new multipurpose stadium near the Seattle Mariners ballpark, and that he was aiming for both an NBA and NHL franchise.

In 2013 there were serious talks surrounding the possible purchase and relocation of the Sacramento Kings, but David Stern stepped in and convinced the Kings’ owners to sell to a group that would keep them in Sacramento.

David Stern was quite prominent in both the relocation (through lack of NBA assistance in getting a new arena deal in place) and the purchase of the Kings (convincing the Kings owners to sell to a local investment group).

Will his recent retirement change the fortunes of Seattle basketball?

Expansion
New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked about an expansion back to Seattle in an interview with ESPN in February, but his response does not give cause for much optimism.

“Seattle is a wonderful market. It would be very additive to the league to have a team there,” Silver said in an interview this week with ESPN. “But we’re not planning on expanding right now, so it’s not a function of price.”

That statement seems to indicate that an NBA franchise in Seattle is quite a while away (if it ever comes) and that Chris Hansen has already been requesting one from the NBA.

The fact that Hansen was prepared to offer way over the market value for the Sacramento Kings means that he is probably willing to spend the same or more on getting an expansion team.

Can the NBA say no to that kind of money now?

They can if they negotiate the next TV deal correctly, which is due to expire in 2016.

Dangling an extra team or two in front of prospective bidders might increase the dollar value of the deal, along with the added benefit of the expansion fees that would need to be paid.

Former Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson paid $300 million to enter the NBA in 2004, but Hansen could potentially pay upwards of $700 million for a team given the amount he was bidding for a percentage of the Kings.

If a Seattle franchise was granted, then another city would likely be added to balance out the conferences.

Other cities that could potentially be involved in the expansion equation include Virginia Beach, Anaheim, St Louis and possibly a European franchise.

Relocation
There shouldn’t be an owner that would sell their franchise right now given the latest valuations from Forbes, but there is one team that is potentially for sale.

At No. 30 on that list are the Milwaukee Bucks, the most talked about team when it comes to possible relocation targets for a move to Seattle for years.

Bucks owner Herb Kohl is approaching 80 years of age and has always maintained a win-now philosophy – much to the detriment of the Bucks as they scramble to make the playoffs each season without getting a top draft pick.

Kohl’s openness to selling the team was made clear in December last year, but he is looking towards a deal similar to the Sacramento Kings sale where the Bucks stay in Milwaukee.

The problem with the Bucks situation is the Bradley Center has its lease set to expire in 2017 and Adam Silver is pushing for a new arena to be built.

Unlike Sacramento (2.6m metro population), Milwaukee (1.5m metro population) is not located near a major market and local government funding for big sports arenas is becoming increasingly unpopular with taxpayers.

This means any group that purchases the Bucks must also be prepared for a significant investment in a new arena.

Chris Hansen has no interest in buying a team that he won’t be able to relocate straight away, so this puts a dampener on purchasing the Bucks as Kohl most likely won’t sell to him.

Conclusion
It seems strange that the NBA has a willing investor with funding for a new arena in a proven NBA city but is putting up multiple barriers for their entry into the league.

Milwaukee is a long shot given that Herb Kohl has set up a task force specifically to find a group of investors willing to buy the team and keep them in Milwaukee long term.

While it may not seem like Seattle will get a team in the near future, I would suggest that Adam Silver is waiting for the new TV deal negotiations to begin before seriously considering expansion as an option.

Silver must work towards maintaining a healthy NBA, both financially and competitively, before making a decision that could end up diluting the product.

It is a frustrating situation for all NBA fans that want to see basketball back in Seattle, but patience may be the key here.

If Seattle doesn’t get a team by 2018-2020 then we can all agree that the conspiracy theories were correct and the NBA really does hate Seattle.